Founder of “CO2 is Green” group gave money to Bingaman

While a new climate bill will be unveiled in the Senate this week, some groups are working to oppose the legislation, including one based out of Montana that claims carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, and that “higher CO2 levels than we have today would help the Earth’s ecosystems.” The group has run TV ads in New Mexico and contributed money to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

In fact, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that C02 is a pollutant; and according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center, ”there is no scientific debate” on the question of whether human activity is contributing to the increase in greenhouses gasses—such as CO2—in the atmosphere.

One of the founders of the group CO2 is Green, Corbin J. Robertson Jr., has been spending liberally, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

Already this year Robertson has contributed money to the campaigns of Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), James Webb (D-Va.), Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) and Reps. Charles Melancon (D-La), Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Randy Neugebauer (R-Texas). Over the years, Steward has contributed to the Republican National Committee, Landrieu, former Sen. John Breaux (D-La.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and both former President George W Bush and George HW Bush.

So who is Robertson? According to the Washington Post, he is the “chief executive of and leading shareholder in Natural Resource Partners, a Houston-based owner of coal resources that lets other companies mine in return for royalties.”

Media Matters said of the CO2 is Green campaign, “Oil and coal interests funding a pro-pollution ‘education campaign’ is akin to the insulation industry funding infomercials to promote the virtues of asbestos.”

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee is an important committee when it comes to any environmental legislation. Earlier this month, The Washington Independent wrote about Bingaman’s ongoing efforts to influence cap and trade legislation.

CO2 Is Green group has also targeted Bingaman with television ads in New Mexico.

And just for background, here is some information from the Energy Information Administration (part of the U.S. Department of Energy):

Many chemical compounds found in the Earth’s atmosphere act as “greenhouse gases.” These gases allow sunlight to enter the atmosphere freely. When sunlight strikes the Earth’s surface, some of it is re-radiated back towards space as infrared radiation (heat). Greenhouse gases absorb this infrared radiation and trap the heat in the atmosphere. Many gases exhibit these “greenhouse” properties. Some of them occur in nature (water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide), while others are exclusively human made (certain industrial gases). Over time, if atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases remain relatively stable, the amount of energy sent from the sun to the Earth’s surface should be about the same as the amount of energy radiated back into space, leaving the temperature of the Earth’s surface roughly constant.

In the United States, greenhouse gas emissions come primarily from the combustion of fossil fuels in energy use. Energy use is largely driven by economic growth with short-term fluctuations in its growth rate created by weather patterns affecting heating and cooling needs, as well as changes in the fuel used in electricity generation. Energy-related carbon dioxide emissions, resulting from the combustion of petroleum, coal, and natural gas, represented 82 percent of total U.S. anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions in 2006. The connection between energy use and carbon dioxide emissions is explored in the box on the reverse side.